APPENDIX F: URBAN FORM PROGRAM 

Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-1

APPENDIX F: 

URBAN FORM PROGRAM 

DRAFT TRANSBAY REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA 

DESIGN FOR DEVELOPMENT VISION 

The following is a summary of the urban form program as contained in the Draft Transbay 

Redevelopment Project Area Design for Development Vision released by the San Francisco 

Redevelopment Agency in August 2003. 

As shown in F-1, the draft vision includes an urban form program for the proposed Project Area 

designed to preserve sunlight, views, and open space. While the “full build” alternative includes 

approximately 4,700 residential units, this level of development would create a virtual wall of 

residential towers along Folsom Street and north of Folsom Street between Main and Beale 

Streets. Based on community input from the public workshops, the number of residential towers 

was significantly reduced and would include fewer, taller towers surrounded by low-rise 

development between four and eight stories in height. The spacing between the towers is 

intended to protect sunlight, open space, and views within the proposed Project Area. 

The draft program includes approximately 3,200 new residential units on the publicly owned 

development parcels, including several smaller, underutilized adjacent parcels, as follows 

(numbers and letters correspond to Figure F-1): 

Residential. 

Block 1 

A – 8-story (80-foot), 88,000-square-foot building with 75 residential units 

B – 4-story (40-foot), 18,000-square-foot building with 16 residential units 

Block 2 

T – 40-story (400-foot), 440,000-square-foot tower with 353 residential units 

A – 4-story (40-foot), 27,000-square-foot building with 23 residential units 

B – 16-story (160-foot), 88,000-square-foot building with 75 residential units 

C – 6-story (60-foot), 19,000-square-foot building with 16 residential units 

Block 3 

T – 55-story (550-foot), 605,000-square-foot tower with 485 residential units 

A – 4-story (40-foot), 27,000-square-foot building with 23 residential units 

B – 8-story (80-foot), 43,000-square-foot building with 34 residential units and retail space 

C – 6-story (60-foot), 19,000-square-foot building with 13 residential units and retail space 
APPENDIX F: URBAN FORM PROGRAM 

Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-2

Figure F-1: Draft Urban Form Plan for Redevelopment Area
Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-3 

Block 4 

T – 30-story (300-foot), 330,000-square-foot tower with 265 residential units 

A – 8-story (80-foot), 39,000-square-foot building with 34 residential units 

B – 4-story (40-foot), 17,000-square-foot building with 14 residential units 

C – 8-story (80-foot), 45,000-square-foot building with 38 residential units 

D – 4-story (40-foot), 28,000-square-foot building with 24 residential units 

E – 8-story (80-foot), 45,000-square-foot building with 34 residential units and retail 

space 

F – 6-story (60-foot), 15,000-square-foot building with 11 residential units and retail 

space 

Block 5 

T – 55-story (550-foot), 605,000-square-foot tower with 485 residential units 

A – 6-story (60-foot), 60,000-square-foot building with 51 residential units 

B – 4-story (40-foot), 19,000-square-foot building with 16 residential units 

C – 8-story (80-foot), 64,000-square-foot building with 54 residential units 

D – 8-story (80-foot), 58,000-square-foot building with 49 residential units 

E – 4-story (40-foot), 16,000-square-foot building with 15 residential units 

Block 6 

T – 45-story (450-foot), 495,000-square-foot tower with 397 residential units 

A – 6-story (60-foot), 56,000-square-foot building with 48 residential units 

B – 6-story (60-foot), 30,000-square-foot building with 26 residential units 

C – 4-story (40-foot), 19,000-square-foot building with 16 residential units 

Block 8 

A – 4-story (40-foot), 16,000-square-foot building with 14 residential units 

B – 4-story (40-foot), 16,000-square-foot building with 14 residential units 

C – 6-story (60-foot), 15,000-square-foot building with 12 residential units and retail 

space 

D – 8-story (80-foot), 23,000-square-foot building with 17 residential units and retail 

space 

E – 8-story (80-foot), 41,000-square-foot building with 30 residential units and retail 

space 

F – 16-story (160-foot), 82,000-square-foot building with 65 residential units and retail 

space 

Block 9 

T – 30-story (300-foot), 330,000-square-foot tower with 263 residential units and retail 

space 

A – 4-story (40-foot), 29,000-square-foot building with 24 residential units 

B – 8-story (80-foot), 39,000-square-foot building with 33 residential units and retail 

space 

C – 6-story (60-foot), 21,000-square-foot building with 16 residential units and retail 

space 
Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-4 

Block 10 

A – 6-story (60-foot), 12,000-square-foot building with 10 residential units 

B – 8-story (80-foot), 52,000-square-foot building with 44 residential units 

These residential units are assumed to be approximately 60 percent for-sale and 40 

percent rental and would include a variety of unit types and sizes with an average unit 

size of 1,000 square feet. Ground-floor residential units would be designed as individual 

townhouses, with entrances elevated at least 3 feet above street level and set back from 

the sidewalk to provide space for landscaping and other sidewalk amenities. Parking for 

all new residential development would be required to be below grade, with a maximum of 

one parking space per residential unit. Developers would be required to separate the 

cost of parking spaces from the cost of residential units and provide spaces for interested 

car-sharing programs on site. The Final Design for Development will include a set of 

standards and guidelines for residential development in the new Transbay neighborhood. 

It will be the policy of the Redevelopment Agency that 35 percent of the new residential 

units built within the proposed Project Area will be affordable. At least 25 percent of all 

new residential units developed within the Project Area is intended to be affordable to, 

and occupied by, households whose incomes do not exceed 60 percent of the area median 

income, and an additional 10 percent of all dwelling units developed within the Project 

Area are intended to be affordable to, and occupied by, households whose incomes do not 

exceed 120 percent of the area median income. These affordable units are assumed to be 

a combination of stand-alone, 100 percent affordable housing developments, such as 

affordable senior housing, and “inclusionary” units, or affordable units built within 

market-rate developments. At least 15 percent of all units in new market-rate 

developments are intended to be “inclusionary” units. 

Office. The program includes new office development on two publicly owned parcels in 

the proposed Project Area, as shown on Figure 5.22-28. The offices are configured as 

follows (numbers and letters correspond to Figure 2.2-28): 

Block C-1:

16-story (160-foot), 200,000-square-foot office building 

Block C-2: 

52-story (550-foot), 1,040,000-square-foot building with 565,000 square feet of office 

space and a hotel 

Hotel. The program includes new hotel development on the publicly owned parcel just 

north of the new Transbay Terminal. This hotel would serve high-speed rail passengers 

using the new Terminal as well as the larger downtown area. The hotel on Block C-2 

would occupy 475,000 square feet of the 52-story building on the site. 
Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-5 

Retail. The program includes approximately 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail 

space concentrated in the residential area along Folsom Street. This new retail space 

will serve future residents of Transbay as well as existing residents in Rincon Hill.

Public Improvements 

Because one of the purposes of the Redevelopment Area is to serve regional commuters 

with easy access to the Bay Bridge, the proposed Project Area currently does not offer 

pedestrians a pleasant experience. To transform the area into a livable residential 

neighborhood, the Draft Design for Development document also includes improvements 

to the streetscape and open space for area residents and pedestrians. Four main types of 

public improvements are included: (1) neighborhood parks, (2) landmark plazas (3) 

pedestrian-oriented alleys, and (4) widened sidewalk zones. 

The most prominent of the proposed public improvements is the addition of widened 

sidewalks to improve the pedestrian experience along all the streets in the area, 

providing connections to and from downtown, the waterfront, South Beach and Yerba 

Buena. The sidewalks along Beale, Main and Spear Streets are proposed to be widened 

to provide usable open space for the area’s residents. In addition, it is proposed that the 

neighborhood be served with new parks programmed with various uses. Together these 

parks total 126,800 square feet. 

Neighborhood Parks. Two primary target zones for neighborhood parks are those zones 

where new residential development housing would be focused: Block 7, the publicly 

owned parcel framed by Main, Beale and Folsom Streets; and the Mixed Use area 

around Second Street. Each of these zones sites has been identified for a major new 

public park. While these will not be large enough to accommodate ball fields or other 

large-scale active recreation, they would provide neighborhood open space similar to 

that found in nearby San Francisco neighborhoods. 

The park identified just north of Folsom, bounded by Main and Beale Streets is similar in 

size to Sidney Walton Park in the Golden Gateway area. Like Sidney Walton Park, this 

park could be well landscaped and frequented by nearby residents and workers. The 

park would also be similar to Washington Square in North Beach that accommodates 

informal recreation and passive activities. 

The site configuration for the parks located in the mixed-use district will require 

additional study, as they are dependent on the configuration of the bus ramps leading to 

the Transbay Terminal. Given the locations of these ramps, it may be possible to provide 

a passive or informal park such as South Park in this area for neighborhood use, as well 

as more active recreation uses adjacent to or under the freeway ramps (e.g., handball or 

basketball courts). 

Tower locations and heights have been carefully defined to minimize shading of parks 

and expanded streetscapes during the mid-day hours throughout the year. 
Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-6 

Landmark Plazas. The primary opportunity and logical site for a landmark public plaza 

is on the north and south of the primary Transbay Terminal edifice, the east-west spine 

that will house the primary vehicular circulation for the terminal. To the north and south 

of this transportation facility will be the primary access points to the Terminal, where 

large numbers of people would enter and exit daily. To the south, an office building is 

permitted but not yet built. If plans change for this property, consideration could be give 

to a larger plaza leading to the south terminal entries. On the north of the Terminal, 

depending on its ultimate configuration and associated development, an opportunity for a 

major public space, outdoors or enclosed like a “winter garden,” exists. 

Alleys. The proposed program includes new alleys as well as extensions to existing 

alleys throughout the Project Area, allowing for better pedestrian circulation throughout 

the neighborhood. Pedestrian alleys can have a high level of pedestrian activity, and can 

be improved with special paving, lighting, plantings, and furniture. Some alleys could be 

closed to vehicular traffic at lunch or for special occasions to allow the entire alley to 

become a pedestrian space, and to allow it to accommodate outdoor dining, etc. In some 

portions of some alleys, access to parking garages and service docks and the movements 

of delivery vehicles will limit the ability to create these pedestrian zones. 

Widened Sidewalk Zones. The street environment is poor throughout the Transbay 

district, with few street trees, little in the way of pedestrian amenities, sidewalks that are 

cracked or in disrepair, and no pedestrian street lighting. Significant improvements to 

the sidewalk environment appear necessary and are planned as a part of the 

redevelopment of the area. 

Conditions in the Transbay area represent a unique opportunity to improve the public 

realm of open space and the pedestrian environment through a focus on the sidewalk 

areas. Wide streets exist throughout the neighborhood. While this width is needed in 

some locations to accommodate the volumes of traffic associated with commute 

movements into and out of the city, this width does not appear to be necessary on other 

streets, and excess street capacity appears to exist. This capacity could be put to use 

through widened sidewalks, returning more space to the pedestrian from the automobile 

zone. 

The widened sidewalks could serve two roles: (1) as improved linkages throughout the 

area but in particular to the terminal itself for the high volumes of pedestrian traffic that 

is expected as the area redevelops, and (2) as usable public open space on certain streets 

where adequate room exists to allow more active recreation uses. Following is a 

discussion of opportunities to create specially widened sidewalks in three zones. 

Folsom Street has been identified in the past as a location for a special pedestrian rightof-way that might act as the center of the new neighborhood and provide an active link to 

the waterfront along the Embarcadero. The analysis of traffic volume requirements 

shows that four travel lanes are required: three eastbound and one westbound. In 

addition, this street is anticipated to include parking on both sides to support retail uses 
Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-7 

and to buffer pedestrians from traffic. An eastbound bicycle lane is also anticipated. On 

the north side of the street, a 15-foot setback is proposed to be required throughout the 

proposed Project Area. Two alternative configurations of Folsom Street are described 

below. 

In the first configuration, sidewalks would be improved on both sides of the street. On 

the north side, a 15-foot setback, combined with a seven-foot sidewalk zone, would 

provide a generous sidewalk area on the sunny side of the street – large enough for 

extensive plantings and furnishings or sidewalk seating for cafes and restaurants. The 

southern edge sidewalk is a typical neighborhood scale sidewalk and could be furnished 

with lighting, street trees, and site furnishings such as benches. 

In the second configuration, a median would be added between the eastbound and 

westbound lanes. This would leave a 17-foot sidewalk on the north side (made possible 

by the 15-foot setback), which is still a generous sidewalk allowing for extensive 

landscaping and furnishings on this sunny side. The median would provide an 

opportunity to make this street distinctive among Transbay-area streets, as there is 

inadequate width on any other streets to provide a continuous median such as this. 

Significant portions of Main, Beale, and Spear Streets carry the lowest vehicular traffic 

volumes in the area. In fact there is excess capacity within the vehicular right-of-way for 

projected traffic volumes. This makes it possible to use some of the street width for a 

pedestrian sidewalk zone. 

Widening of sidewalks on these streets would be important given the significant number 

of housing units that would have access from or be adjacent to these streets, and could 

therefore enjoy the benefits of adjacent improved sidewalks. These streets are also the 

primary connectors from the eastern portion of the financial district to the South Beach 

waterfront area, where major open space amenities and public destinations are located, 

e.g., Pacific Bell Park. Since these streets connect through to the waterfront (whereas no 

street to the west does until you reach Second Street), and since they are also nearly flat, 

they appear to be prime pedestrian priority corridors. 

The Draft Design for Development would improve the street in an asymmetrical fashion. 

This would result in sidewalks of as much as 32 feet on one side, with 15 feet on the 

other. Parking would remain on both sides of the street, and adequate width would be 

provided for bicycle routes. The 32-foot wide sidewalk would create a new prototype for 

open space in San Francisco, where the sidewalk would be so wide that it would 

constitute linear open space, and could be improved with small-scale active recreation 

uses. These might include small tot lots, bocce ball courts, and chessboards, as well as 

the uses that could be accommodated on a normally wide sidewalk, such as outdoor 

dining. 
Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR F-8 

Other Streets: Options are being explored for widening the sidewalk environment of 

other Transbay area streets. However, projected traffic volumes on many streets are 

such that only limited improvements would be possible – none of the scale and extent as 

those proposed for Folsom, Main, Beale and Spear Streets.